How much do NFL Practice Squad Players make per year?

A demanding 17-game NFL season is certain to result in injuries for all 32 teams, and the practice squad gives them choices for replacement players who are already accustomed to the system.

The NFL allows each team to have up to 53 players on its active roster, with a maximum of 48 available on game days. However, teams can also have several players who practice with the team during the week but cannot participate in games... or at least not regularly.

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Here's how it works:

• Each team can have up to 16 players on its practice squad.
• Of those 16, at least 10 must be rookies or second-year players, while the other six have no eligibility restrictions.
• Teams can use a "standard elevation" to allow up to two practice squad players to participate in a regular season game without adding them to the active roster. However, this elevation can only be used on a single player a maximum of three times. To make a player available for a fourth game, he must be promoted to the active roster.
• A team can sign players from another team's practice squad, but only if they add them directly to their active roster; they cannot transfer them laterally to their own practice squad.

How much money do NFL Practice Squad Players make annually?

During the 2024 season, the minimum salary for NFL practice squad players is $12,500 per week. If a player has accrued at least two seasons, their minimum salary is $16,800 per week, while the maximum can reach $21,300 per week.

A player with fewer than two seasons who remains on the practice squad for all 18 weeks would earn $225,000. This is approximately 28% of the league minimum salary for rookies, which is $795,000.

On the other hand, a player with at least two seasons in the league who stays on the practice squad for all 18 weeks would earn between $302,400 and $383,400. In 2024, the veteran minimum salary starts at $915,000.

Players on the practice squad may earn more than those minimal wages, and their pay does go toward a team's salary cap.

A practice squad player is guaranteed three game checks if they are signed to another club's active roster.